Nadav Schoenberg
Gordon 3
AP Gov
Sex & Justice
Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas was extremely offended by the allegations of sexual harassment brought upon him by Anita Hill. Hill accused Thomas of sexual harassing her while they worked together for a government agency. Thomas described the accusations and the trial that followed as a "high-tech lynching". Thomas, a black man, felt that the accusations brought upon him were racially charged. Thomas explained that many of the accusations were based around stereotypes that were and continue to be associated with black men. Thomas felt that by accusing him of such actions, Hill was attempting to end his career and his life as a professional sense the lynching analogy. Thomas's attempt to drag race into the trial was unsuccessful. One Senator on the committee even requested that no comments about race be used in the trial as both Thomas and Hill. Also, lynchings were usually done in public in order to draw attention. Thomas's trial was all over both print and television, publicizing the accusations around the country.
During the Cold War, Americans were terrified of Communism. The Red Scare struck the United States. The Soviet Union grew to one of the most powerful countries in the world, intensifying Americans fear of a Communist society. Joseph McCarthy, a senator from Wisconsin, accused and brought to trial many people who were accused of being communist. There is little connection between the Clarence Thomas trial and McCarthy's hearings. Actually there is one large difference between the trials. Thomas left his trials unscaved and continues to rule on the Supreme Court. However, after McCarthy's trials, those who were accused saw their reputations destroyed.
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